José Amador Calls Out Bardolatry

Check out José Amador’s insightful and fun essay  over at the Seattlest examining our obsequious and unweened relationship with the works of William Shakespeare.  To his excellent points I would add an apologia for my own insolence in presuming to wright plays when, according to so many theatre canonophiles, all the great works have already been written.  However, I feel compelled to note sheepishly that that a few things have happened in human history since Shakespeare died.  And since he wasn’t able to address them, it is up to foolish mortals such as myself to give ‘em a whack.

My own paltry stabs have included so far:

• The advent of the bomb.
• The discovery and unraveling of the recipe for human existence.
• The emergence of corporate personhood.

I’m so sorry that Shakespeare couldn’t live forever to put these important issues in their proper blank verse perspective; but since all Golden Ages are, by definition, over, you’re stuck with the unlikely likes of me and others who pathetically soldier on at the art of dramatic writing, so clearly dead since 1616.

‘Tis true, 'tis pity,
And pity 'tis 'tis true.

Comments

[Jose]

Thanks for the link, Paul!

[Paul Mullin]

You bet, José. I hope you and Omar keep 'em coming.

I also found his piece on the Endangered Species Project delightfully provocative.

For anyone interested, you can find it here: http://seattlest.com/2011/11/06/endangered_species_the_problem_of_t.php

[Scot Augustson]

Had a conversation not long ago in which everyone shared their favorite Shakespeare experience (attending, not being in).
What they had in common was sort of a "Wow, I forgot I was watching Shakespeare, that's how good it was."